Chapter 83
“Mm-hmm.” Hu Yuying nodded, placing her little money in her small treasure chest before obediently heading to the kitchen to cook for Long Aotian.
Long Ge treats me so well, she thought, a wave of indescribable emotion washing over her, making her want to cry...
“Don’t even think about crying! If you do, I’ll hit you,” he warned.
Hu Yuying paused for a moment. “How did you know what I was thinking, Long Ge?”
“Because you’re kind-hearted.”
She hesitated, then said, “You’re the best person to me besides my parents and grandparents.” After saying this, she quickly averted her gaze from Long Aotian’s eyes and hurried into the kitchen to prepare the meal.
After dinner, watching Long Aotian’s departing figure, Hu Yuying felt an indescribable sense of melancholy. It was a subtle disappointment.
It hadn’t felt like this before when she watched Long Aotian leave...
Before, she felt happy, but now, that happiness seemed to have faded...
...
“Quan, you don’t need to say anything. I just want to get drunk alone!”
Ye Liangchen shook the beer in his hand, his voice a bit hoarse.
The college entrance exam was over, and his heart felt just as cold.
He couldn’t solve a single question, and now he felt a faint sadness; only alcohol could temporarily lift his spirits.
“Bro, don’t drink anymore. Guess who I ran into today?” Gao Quan said, a hint of pride in his voice.
“I think I’ll never feel anything for anyone again. No one can shake my weary heart anymore,” Ye Liangchen replied with a calm smile, downing his beer in one go.
“I ran into Li Qingxue! Guess where I saw her?”
“Ha, just a heartless woman. I gave up studying for her, but what about her? Heh, she’ll regret it one day.”
Gao Quan suddenly lost interest and picked up a skewer to eat.
Ye Liangchen waited for a while but didn’t hear Gao Quan continue, so he glanced over. “Where did you see her?”
“By the Shuiban River,” Gao Quan casually replied.
In the next moment, the sound of a glass shattering on the ground echoed.
Ye Liangchen was momentarily stunned, seemingly unaware that the cup in his hand had fallen.
“By the Shuiban River?” he murmured, a smile breaking across his face. He was genuinely smiling.
“So that’s it, so that’s it!”
The Shuiban River was the only way to get to his home.
Li Qingxue lived on the other side; unless she wanted to find him, he couldn’t think of any reason for her to be at the Shuiban River!
After all, why go the long way around when the short route was available? He was sure of that after knowing her for nine years.
“She wants to find me but doesn’t know how to say it, so she can only hope for a chance encounter by the river. Li Qingxue, if I had known it would come to this, why did it have to be like this?”
With that thought, Ye Liangchen took a deep breath and slowly stood up. “Quan, take your time eating. I’m heading out.”
His heart stirred with a ripple of emotion; he couldn’t say he was happy, but he could say that everything was as he expected...
...
【I stood up again today!】
【I didn’t check the backend yesterday, but today I saw so many gifts from everyone. I really regret not updating more yesterday. I’ll probably have to slap myself to sleep tonight. Sorry, guys!】
---
The next morning.
Li Qingxue woke up early as usual.
Years of habit had her waking up at this hour naturally.
After washing up and changing clothes, she headed out.
Walking along the Shuiban River from the west to the east, she found that familiar figure was nowhere to be seen, and she sighed inwardly.
It had been three days—three days without a sight of him.
Taking a deep breath, she sat on the grass, resting her chin on one hand as she gazed at the flowing river.
She pulled out her phone and stared at the chat interface, her mind filled with the image of Long Aotian riding away with Hu Yuying.
After a moment, she put her phone away.
“The college entrance exam is over; I should relax a bit. Maybe he’ll come by in a couple of days.”
Lying back on the grass, she aimed her phone at the sky and snapped a photo.
The blue sky and white clouds painted a perfect picture; it was a beautiful day.
Just as she finished editing the photo and was about to post it, she heard footsteps approaching.
Li Qingxue didn’t even realize how delighted she looked at that moment.
Suddenly, she turned around, intending to surprise him—after all, he always liked to tease her like a child.
The person was indeed startled by her sudden movement.
Though she had succeeded in surprising him, the joy on Li Qingxue’s face quickly faded into indifference, leaving Ye Liangchen feeling inexplicably hurt.
With a slight sigh, he said, “If I don’t come, how long were you planning to wait?”
His words were filled with a sense of helplessness as he bent down to pick up the wildflowers that had fallen to the ground. “I saw these on my way here. They’re for you.”
Li Qingxue didn’t take them; she turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
If her random complaints had made her a bit sad, then his insistence on her retaking the year was enough to erase any good feelings she had for him.
Watching Li Qingxue’s sulking demeanor, Ye Liangchen found it amusing. Was she still blaming him?
“Alright, I’m not feeling great either, but I still came to see you.”
“Ye Liangchen, stop saying things I can’t understand, okay?” Li Qingxue suddenly felt that today was just her unlucky day.
Ye Liangchen, however, remained unfazed, hands in his pockets as he gazed into the distance. “Admit it, Qingxue.”
“What do you want me to admit?”
“Admit that you actually have feelings for me. You know what your biggest flaw is? You’re afraid to face your own heart.”
As he spoke, he tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, a self-deprecating smile on his face. “Is it really that hard to admit you like me?”
“Your personality is too strong. If I hadn’t come today, how long were you planning to wait here?”
Li Qingxue stood up, looking at Ye Liangchen with some annoyance. “Are you out of your mind? Who’s waiting for you?”
“Ha, still not willing to admit it?” Ye Liangchen shook his head in exasperation.
“Your house is that way, and there’s a river there too. Why would you come all the way here if it wasn’t because my house is nearby?”
“And just now, your reaction when you heard my footsteps.”
“People’s instincts are the most genuine. The way you turned to look at me says it all,” Ye Liangchen murmured.
Each detail pointed to one thing: Li Qingxue wanted to see him, which was why her subconscious had reacted so honestly.
Li Qingxue seemed to have been struck at her core, a blush creeping onto her delicate face. “You... don’t talk nonsense! Even if I’m waiting for someone, it’s not you!”
“Ha-ha.” Ye Liangchen wanted to laugh, but seeing Li Qingxue’s serious expression made him pause, a strange feeling rising within him. Could it be that she really was waiting for someone else? That the person she was hoping for wasn’t him?
How could that be? He had known Li Qingxue for nine years.
Nine years, not nine days. If she wanted to see someone, who else could it be but him?
“Qingxue, stop joking around. If you’re not waiting for me, who else could you be waiting for?”
“Fine, I give up. Is that enough? I’ve actually not been mad at you for a long time. Is that good enough?”
Upon hearing this, Li Qingxue genuinely found it amusing.
So, it was all her fault for not retaking the year with him?
Seeing Li Qingxue smile at him again, Ye Liangchen chuckled softly. Was this what she wanted? Ha, women!
Li Qingxue took a step back, creating some distance between them. “First of all, I am waiting for someone, but it’s not you.”
“Secondly, I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
“Lastly, Ye Liangchen, you’re really full of yourself.”
She was angry!
Ye Liangchen felt a flicker of irritation rising within him.
He had tolerated Li Qingxue’s misunderstanding of his mother, and he had let it slide when she refused to retake the year with him.
But now, she was calling him self-important and full of himself, and he was starting to get genuinely upset!
“You’re not waiting for me; are you waiting for Long Aotian instead?”
This was just a thought that slipped out in his frustration.
But... Li Qingxue fell silent... She didn’t refute him...
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